From Here To Eternity
by ilovetvalot
Summary: What do you say when you realize that you're sitting in the final moments of your life. Two chapters Epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, all our fanfic friends! Several announcements today, so, hang on tight!**

**First, our forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" has a new interview up with the fabulously talented klcm. Please stop by and get to know her and several other of the brilliant authors in CM fanfic. And if anyone has an author that they'd like to see interviewed, please shoot me a private message. I promise that we'll do our best to coax them over to talk to us!**

**And LAST CALL, GUYS!**

**Second, there are ONE days left for the October Challenge, "The Candyland Challenge". In the spirit of Halloween, the rules are simple. Name a candy, a pairing you'd like to see written and the pairing you normally write. You'll be assigned a pairing and a candy by October 1st. You will have until Halloween (October 31, 2010) to post a story with your candy prompt and pairing. It does NOT have to be a Halloween story...it just must contain a reference to the candy. For example, if you were assigned a "Goo Goo Bar" as a candy, you could make that the candy an actual BAR in your story. The more creative, the better. Sign-ups are at the forum or you can shoot us a PM (ilovetvalot OR tonnie2001969) if you're interested.**

**Also, please, please, please don't forget to get your nominations in for the first EVER "Profiler's Choice Awards. Nomination ballots and rules are at the forum. Don't forget, I'm (ilovetvalot) still willing to write a oneshot of your pairing choosing to the next five people to complete a ballot. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your favorite stories and authors the recognition that they deserve on ff. net. Also, please remember, in the interest of just saying "no" to self-promotion, ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are NOT eligible for nomination.**

**Also, readers & authors, please come sound off on our newest discussion thread. Tell us how you'd feel about the idea of a fanfic based CM Christmas Gift Fic Exchange. We're eagerly soliciting opinions and ideas!**

**So, please, drop by and get a blank ballot and tell the fanfic community who YOUR favorites are! We'd love to have you!**

* * *

**From Here To Eternity**

**Chapter One**

It was a horrible feeling, she thought almost idly, knowing that you're going to die. But knowing that the man you loved was going to perish right beside you if someone didn't act soon...that was worse.

Far worse.

Emily Prentiss glanced helplessly from face to face, each one more panicked than the first as she clenched her bound hands. "Dave," she said through her clenched teeth, forcing herself to hold on tightly to what was left of her emotional control, "you have to listen to me." Watching her lover's face tighten as he watched Derek Morgan's desperate fingers work on the bomb strapped to her chest, she knew he wasn't listening to her. His eyes were glued to those rapidly descending red numbers.

Numbers that every person in the room was watching with growing fear. Numbers that couldn't be stopped.

"Derek, damn it, hurry!" Rossi growled urgently, one of his strong hands reaching for hers and wrapping it securely in his grip in a hold that plainly said he wasn't letting go. That he was never going to let go.

"Rossi, man," Derek said hoarsely, his frantic eyes lifting to meet Dave's in rising panic, "I'm trying, but this thing has been wired six ways from Sunday."

"Morgan, focus," Hotch ordered in a hard voice from behind Emily's chair. "Dave, shut up and let the man work," he commanded, reaching out to rest his hand on Dave's stiff shoulder. "Prentiss," he said, his voice softer, "just breathe, okay?"

"We're getting you out of here, Cara," Dave said insistently, lifting his free hand to brush a sweaty strand of hair from her cheek, his fingers lingering against her clammy skin. "You just hang in there for me."

Smiling bravely, Emily nodded stiffly. They both knew he was telling a lie. She wasn't getting out of here. Not alive. "I love you," she whispered, aware that they were surrounded by their colleagues…colleagues that, until these last tension fraught moments, hadn't even been aware of their relationship. But, if she had only minutes left here with him, she couldn't waste these moments on protocol or privacy. "I'm so glad you taught me how to love someone," she admitted hoarsely, her throat tight as her eyes welled with tears.

"Stop talking like that," Dave ordered huskily, fighting his own overwhelming fear as he stared into her dark eyes. "I've still got more to teach you, cara mia. And as soon as we get you out of here, the first lesson is going to be learning how not to scare the shit out of the man that loves you."

"Time, Morgan!" Hotch said gruffly, trying to remain inconspicuous as his two friends spoke what could be their final goodbyes. Christ, he'd never seen that look of fear in another's eyes. He'd felt it...when Haley died…but he'd never actually watched it in another person, let alone his best friend.

"Two and a half minutes," a bomb tech said softly, seeing the agent beside him try to speak but falter. Lifting his head, the sandy haired man stared at Hotch with defeated eyes.

Words weren't necessary. The look spoke volumes. Time was no longer on their side.

Seeing Morgan's trembling hands slowing, Dave tightened his hand around Emily's again as he barked, "Why the fuck are you slowing down then?"

"Rossi, if I can't disarm the bomb before two minutes, there isn't going to be enough time to disarm it at all," Morgan informed his friends, his words apologetic as a single tear slid down his brown cheek. "I'm sorry, Em," he said huskily, turning to meet her knowing eyes.

"No!" Rossi yelled, his words bouncing off the walls of the small room. "Keep trying!" he ordered adamantly, motioning violently toward the black cased bomb wrapped around the chest of the woman he loved.

"Dave," Emily said softly, calling his attention back to her as she schooled her features. "He did try. It won't work." At that moment, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had to do what was best for the rest of the team. Her future was already determined, no hope for salvation at this point. But for those she loved, she could still make a difference.

"Is there anything..." Hotch began hopefully, stepping around Emily's chair to reach Morgan, desperate for any step they could take.

"No," the bomb tech replied with a shake of his head, his voice filled with unspoken regret.

Swallowing as she firmed her jaw, Emily met Hotch's eyes. "You have to call for the evac, Hotch," she told him, her words clear in spite of her sinking heart, her logical mind overriding her emotions. "You're almost at the two minute threshold," she reminded him, nodding at her chest where the numbers, despite all her prayers, kept winding down.

"I know," he nodded, his own voice harsh with emotion. "Morgan, go," Hotch ordered sternly. "Now," he said meaningfully when the tall black man began to argue.

Derek Morgan's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he turned to look at his dark haired friend with shining eyes. "I'll stay, Em. If you want, I'll stay," he choked, his lips quivering.

"No," Emily said firmly, shaking her head. "You won't. Get out of here, Derek. Please!"

Barely maintaining his composure, Derek bent to brush his lips against her cool, pale cheek. "I love you, Little Sister."

Unable to trust her voice, Emily nodded. "Go, Derek," she whispered against his cheek.

Turning, Derek strode out of the warehouse, the bomb tech following closely behind him.

Looking between her lover and his best friend as the timer on the bomb beeped, signaling the two minute warning, Emily inhaled shakily. "You need to go now," she said, switching her gaze from Aaron to Dave, knowing this could be the last time. "Time's running out."

"No," Dave shook his head adamantly. "I'm not leaving you," he ground out, gripping her hand as he stroked her cheek. Emotions he had never felt before seemed to invade him, overtaking his mind. "Not now. Not ever."

* * *

_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

**_Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello, all our fanfic friends! Several announcements today, so, hang on tight!**

**First, our forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" has a new interview up with the fabulously talented klcm. Please stop by and get to know her and several other of the brilliant authors in CM fanfic. And if anyone has an author that they'd like to see interviewed, please shoot me a private message. I promise that we'll do our best to coax them over to talk to us!**

**And LAST CALL, GUYS! THIS IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY TO SIGN UP!**

**Second, this is the last day to sign up for the October Challenge, "The Candyland Challenge". In the spirit of Halloween, the rules are simple. Name a candy, a pairing you'd like to see written and the pairing you normally write. You'll be assigned a pairing and a candy by October 1st. You will have until Halloween (October 31, 2010) to post a story with your candy prompt and pairing. It does NOT have to be a Halloween story...it just must contain a reference to the candy. For example, if you were assigned a "Goo Goo Bar" as a candy, you could make that the candy an actual BAR in your story. The more creative, the better. Sign-ups are at the forum or you can shoot us a PM (ilovetvalot OR tonnie2001969) if you're interested.**

**Also, please, please, please don't forget to get your nominations in for the first EVER "Profiler's Choice Awards. Nomination ballots and rules are at the forum. Don't forget, I'm (ilovetvalot) still willing to write a oneshot of your pairing choosing to the next five people to complete a ballot. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your favorite stories and authors the recognition that they deserve on ff. net. Also, please remember, in the interest of just saying "no" to self-promotion, ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are NOT eligible for nomination.**

**Also, readers & authors, please come sound off on our newest discussion thread. Tell us how you'd feel about the idea of a fanfic based CM Christmas Gift Fic Exchange. We're eagerly soliciting opinions and ideas!**

**So, please, drop by and get a blank ballot and tell the fanfic community who YOUR favorites are! We'd love to have you!**

* * *

**From Here To Eternity**

**Chapter Two**

"Dave, please..." Emily begged, her voice breaking as her heart seemed to tighten underneath the offensive bomb.

"No!" Dave shouted, glaring over his shoulder at Hotch when the younger man touched his shoulder with a heavy hand.

"Dave," Hotch said carefully, hating the pain he saw etched on his best friend's face, "we need to leave. Now."

"I'm not going anywhere," Dave hissed, ignoring his best friend as he turned back toward Emily, moving even closer to her stiff body. "I'm staying right here with her. Where I belong."

"No!" Emily yelled frantically, desperation filling her soul as she fought the rising panic at the thoughts of losing him. "You're gonna get your ass up and walk out that door with Hotch, Rossi! You're going to live," Emily ordered him, her shriek echoing in the empty warehouse. "I will NOT be the woman that got you killed," she sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please, for me, David. Go!"

"Cara," Dave said, his voice low and soothing as he wiped her tears with a shaking hand, kneeling before her. "You could never be what killed me. You saved me, Emily. When I'd given up on everything...on the job...on humanity...you saved me."

"Good," Emily wept, the one word catching in her throat. "Then go live for me," she whispered, her eyes beseeching him.

"That's not how it works, bellisima," Dave said, smiling sadly at her, his lips tightening as he stroked his fingers down her delicate neck. "How'd that line in that dumbass movie you made me watch go? You jump, I jump?"

Eyes widening as he made a joke, Emily shook her head in shock. He was cracking jokes? Now? "I didn't jump, you stubborn ass! I got tied up! Not the same thing!" Looking at Hotch with wild eyes, Emily begged, "Do something! Please, Aaron!"

But as Hotch watched Dave turn and meet his eyes, he saw the stone cold resolve burning in their depths and knew nothing he could say would persuade the older man to walk out of the building they stood in. Heart constricting, he nodded in silent acknowledgement to Dave.

"Take care of Mudgie and that furball she," Dave said softly, jerking his head toward Emily, "calls a cat."

"What?" Emily asked, her eyes dilating as she saw Hotch nod again. Why in the world wasn't Hotch acting like the serious Hotch he was supposed to be? He was the logical one, wasn't he? "No! Damn it, Aaron! You can't leave him in here to die," she screamed at her boss, his shoulders slumped as though the world rested heavily on his shoulders.

Meeting Emily's tear filled eyes, Hotch fought the sob constricting his own throat. "Asking him to leave with me would be crueler, Emily," Hotch whispered, sorrow tingeing every word as he fought for whatever control he could find. "Godspeed, my friends," he told them huskily, turning and striding quickly out of the warehouse.

"Hotch!" Emily screamed frantically, disbelief filling her voice as she watched his back move farther away. "NO! Hotch, get him out of here!" Turning back to Dave with wide, frightened eyes, she demanded, "Leave, David!"

"No," Dave replied calmly, cupping her cheeks as he forced her to look at him, the faint beeping of the bomb punctuating his every word. "I love you, Emily Prentiss. I'm not going anywhere without you."

"If you loved me at all, you'd get the hell out of here," Emily sobbed, hot tears now escaping freely as she stared down at the clock on her chest. One minute, her mind screamed. You have one minute to save his life.

How in the world could sixty seconds seem like a lifetime and a blip in the universe…at the same time?

"Would you leave me?" Dave asked quietly, forcing her face up to meet his again with gentle hands, desperate for the last moments of contact.

"Hell, yes," Emily lied, her vision blurring with tears as she stared at his handsome face. "In a New York minute!"

"Really," Dave chuckled, his eyes crinkling as he smiled at her, his thumbs stroking gently against her cheeks. "This from the woman that braved the storm of the century to rescue a trapped kitten from a tree in the middle of a lightning storm? I don't think so, Agent Prentiss."

"Please, Dave," Emily whispered, her voice choked as she begged him, unable to hold back her sorrow any more. "Get out of here."

Leaning forward, Dave kissed her softly. "I love you, Cara. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. Where you go, I go. In this life or the next."

Burying her head against his warm throat, Emily watched the time wind down. It was hopeless. She couldn't save herself. More importantly, however, she couldn't save him. "I could kick your ass," she muttered against his throat, inhaling his unique scent.

"I wouldn't try that when we make it into Paradise," Dave smiled, pressing a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth. "We wouldn't wanna get evicted our first day there."

_**Ten**_

"I think God would understand my anger."

_**Nine**_

"Probably," Dave chuckled, drawing back to stare in her eyes. How had he never noticed that there were tiny flecks of gold on the edges of those gorgeous black orbs? "Did you know that you're the best thing that ever happened to me?"

_**Eight**_

Fighting tears as she drew in a deep breath, Emily whispered, "I never knew love could be like this."

_**Seven**_

"I guess we lucked up and found our soul mates," Dave replied, pressing a kiss to her lips, lingering as he pressed his forehead against hers.

_**Six**_

"I'm so sorry I let this bastard do this to us, Dave," Emily apologized, unable to stop her lips from quivering again.

_**Five**_

"None of this was ever your fault, Cara."

_**Four**_

"I'm scared," Emily choked, those simple words taking the last of her emotional reserves as she collapsed against his shoulder.

_**Three**_

"Don't be," Dave whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips to her temple, "I'm here."

_**Two**_

"I love you," Emily whispered as she squeezed her eyes closed, bracing for the pain. She was practical…she knew it would be miserable…for both of them.

_**One**_

"No more than I love you, my sweet Emily," Dave whispered, burying his hand in her hair as he heard the last beep on the bomb.

And then time stopped for them both.

* * *

_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

**_Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hello, all our fanfic friends! Several announcements today, so, hang on tight!**

**Please, please, please don't forget to get your nominations in for the first EVER "Profiler's Choice Awards. Nomination ballots and rules are at the forum. Don't forget, I'm (ilovetvalot) still willing to write a oneshot of your pairing choosing to the next five people to complete a ballot. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your favorite stories and authors the recognition that they deserve on ff. net. Also, please remember, in the interest of just saying "no" to self-promotion, ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are NOT eligible for nomination.**

**Also, readers & authors, please come sound off on our newest discussion thread. Tell us how you'd feel about the idea of a fanfic based CM Christmas Gift Fic Exchange. We're eagerly soliciting opinions and ideas!**

**So, please, drop by and get a blank ballot and tell the fanfic community who YOUR favorites are! We'd love to have you!**

* * *

**From Here To Eternity**

**Epilogue**

Emily Prentiss adjusted her flowing white dress round her legs as she peered over the edge of Heaven's portal to the mortal world …and frowned.

So sad, she thought sorrowfully. If only she could tell them that she felt happy. For the first time ever, she experienced a feeling of completion that she'd never experienced during her earthly life. Here, there was no pain...no anguish...none of that overwhelming darkness that had plagued her when she'd been alive.

And here, she had him. Smiling as she glanced across the portal, her eyes raked him hungrily. Clad in fine loose white pants and an equally white silken shirt, open down his chest, her eyes softened at the vision.

He could have chosen to let her go alone into what, at the time, had been an uncertain darkness. But as she'd tried to pull her hand away from him, his fingers had tightened, pulling her closer as they'd walked together down that long tunnel, connecting one world to the next, their footsteps echoing with each step they had taken together.

She'd told him to let go...to go back. He could still be saved. But he'd merely shaken his head and murmured, "Not in this lifetime or the next."

Eventually, they'd seen that beautiful light. So warm. So welcoming. It had bathed her face with its purity and she'd been helpless to resist its pull.

And together, they'd walked into Paradise.

Dropping her gaze back to the mortal plane, Emily sighed heavily. While there was no sadness in the wondrous hereafter they'd found together, regret was still possible. And as she looked down at her colleagues...her friends...something twisted inside her. "They all look so...shattered," she whispered to her companion as she studied each face on the plane below.

Hotch, always so stoic, brushed a stray tear from his cheek before looking around self-consciously. Morgan had his eyes squeezed shut as his fist beat against the leather arm of the chair he sat in, the ear buds to his iPod crammed in his ears as he tried to use music to block the pain he felt. JJ stared at a picture of her family, a smiling Henry and Will, and Emily could hear the distant echo of her thoughts, praying for a hasty return to those she loved most. And Reid...poor, poor Reid, stared aimlessly out his window, lost amid a flood of emotions that he had no skill at controlling. And beside him, Garcia wept. Wept for all of them.

"I wish she wouldn't cry like that," Emily murmured sadly with a sigh. "It won't help...and we're so..."

"Happy?" he supplied, raising a dark eyebrow as he stared back at her, amazed at the stunning beauty that he was privileged to spend all of eternity with.

"Yes," Emily nodded, meeting his compassionate gaze again. "And I feel almost guilty for it."

"Don't," he ordered gently. "One day they'll each know this peace," he told her tenderly, reaching for her soft hand. "When it's their time," he added, lifting her palm and kissing the inside of her wrist.

"What about the meantime?" Emily asked worriedly, looking back at their friends, her lips twisting.

"They'll heal," he said simply. "And they'll live," he added sternly, squeezing her fingers. "And hopefully," he said with a faint smile down at the team, "they'll love."

"I hope so," Emily whispered, leaning her head against David Rossi's angelic shoulder as they both watched the image before them drift further and further away.

"We'll see them again someday, Cara. Until then, we'll simply love each other," he told her, tenderly cradling her body against him.

And that's exactly what they did.

For all of eternity.

_**Finis**_

* * *

_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

**_Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!_**


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